Ruby Atherton is a true gem, as her name implies. She is driven to become the first in her family to graduate college, and to remedy issues that plague low-income communities like the one she grew up in.

When Atherton was in elementary school her adoptive parents divorced, and she says, “My mother became my lifeline.” They bonded by expressing mutual creativity through painting sessions. Tragically, when Atherton was in middle school, her mother was diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder, resulting in severe health issues. Atherton assumed her mother’s responsibilities and managed their worsening financial situation.

She felt left out, unaccomplished and with no control. By mentoring and tutoring her peers, Atherton says she gradually gained the courage to “speak up while ensuring that others were heard. I became confident. With this confidence, I advocated for myself and received more support.”

Feeling as though she had lost a part of her identity, Atherton decided she did not want to live with any regrets. She pursued her passions for figure skating, art and structural design. “I was able to express myself creatively for the first time since [mom’s] diagnosis. Now, I will use it to help my mother and one day improve infrastructure and provide affordable housing in low-income communities.”

In eighth grade, Atherton became a scholar of Peak Education, a college-access organization in Colorado Springs. Since then, she has found support, encouragement and the information she needs to achieve her goals. Jasmine Rainey, director of access and success with Peak Education, says that over the years Atherton “has consistently demonstrated a level of maturity, intelligence, dedication, responsibility and reliability that sets her apart from her peers. Ruby’s drive and ambition are matched only by her well-devised plans to achieve them.”

Atherton lived in the same low-income neighborhood her whole life, until recently moving in with her father in the fall. Seeing the impact, personally, of deterioration, she developed a desire to give back to her community by initiating changes to validate and enhance neighborhoods.

At Palmer High School, Atherton became an active member of the ACE Program (Architecture Construction and Engineering) where she gradually discovered her desire to forge a path toward becoming a civil engineer. During her sophomore year, her ACE team came in third in a national competition. “Developing affordable yet sustainable housing,” Atherton explains, is her long-term goal. “I will ensure that low-income communities and their people are no longer ignored.”

Atherton is also part of the Restorative Justice Council at school and found she has a knack for mediation and conflict resolution. She worked with another school to reduce violence and conflict among students, and between students and staff; and led events to unify the school community with considerable success. She is secretary of the Key Club, which partners with the downtown community doing service projects and has dedicated hours each week to tutoring local kids in mathematics.

Being part of the teen advisory board for Kidpower, an organization that works to protect children from abuse, has been particularly validating. Atherton has been an enthusiastic fundraiser and created a valuable curriculum for this program.

Atherton is multifaceted. She has found her voice in the community and become a skilled mediator and organizer, is a gifted athlete and artist, and is focused on giving back to the community in her future role as a civil engineer.

Atherton lives by a favorite quote attributed to Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl: “When we are no longer able to change a situation — we are challenged to love ourselves.” Atherton sums up her continuing odyssey: “So I pursued my passions. This is my journey of personal growth.”